But the alternative for the San Jose Sharks was to let Brent Burns go to free agency this summer, and that’s not something they were willing to do.

Not with a chance to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup over the next year or two or three.

San Jose signed Burns to an eight-year extension today, with a reported cap hit of $8 million. He’s 31 now, turning 32 in March. So he’ll be 40 by the time his contract expires.

“Brent is one of the most dynamic players in the National Hockey League and we’re very excited to get this deal done,” said GM Doug Wilson. “He has worked extremely hard to be an elite defenseman and at six-foot-five, 230-pounds, his abilities on this ice are unique and rare.”

The Sharks can worry about the tail end of Burns’ deal down the road. Right now, they’re in their window, and who knows how long it will be open? Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are 37, Joe Pavelski 32. Each year that San Jose’s veteran core gets older, the league gets younger. And faster.

Moreover, the Sharks don’t have a particularly strong group of prospects — mostly because they’ve only drafted once in the top 10 since 2007, the year they traded up to get Logan Couture. In 2015, after missing the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, they selected Timo Meier with the ninth overall pick. They didn’t get a first-round pick in 2016, after they traded it to Boston for Martin Jones.

That’s not to say there’s only Meier waiting in the wings. Other prospects include Nikolay Goldobin, Mirco Mueller, and Jeremy Roy. And remember, Tomas Hertl is still only 23.

But the Sharks proved today that the next few years is where it’s at for them. Whereas on a rebuilding team, it might have made sense to trade Burns at the deadline, they’re going to keep him, and hope they can finally get over the top.

This is a new feature on PHT. It’s like the Morning Skate, only not in the morning.

— Up top, NBC’s promo for Rangers-Flyers on Black Friday. Hey, why is it called Black Friday anyway? Even Wikipedia doesn’t have a good answer. Black Friday. Pretty ominous way to sell some cheap TVs.

— Who’s gonna play for Las Vegas? Another good question. The owner has said he doesn’t “want a bunch of 35- or 36-year-olds that play a couple years, and then they’re done,” which may take a guy like Marian Gaborik, 34, out of the mix. Former NHL general manager Craig Button takes a crack at putting a roster together — and yes, Marc-Andre Fleury is on it. (TSN)

— Panthers d-man Aaron Ekblad isn’t off to the best start this season, but he’s trying to stay positive instead of “worrying about little things that happen here and there.” Know a good way to feel positive? Sign a $60 million contract. (NHL.com)

— What is going on with the Ottawa Senators attendance? It’s the lowest of the Canadian teams, and the team’s outspoken owner isn’t very happy about it. In a related story, Go Redblacks! (Ottawa Report)

— John Scott on the new All-Star Game voting rules: “It’s good. I think, you know, something had to happen. I don’t think they wanted a situation like me to happen again. Guys from the AHL, guys who are hurt — I don’t think they should be included anymore. I think it was a one-time thing and … it’s a good rule.” (PHT)

— Gary Bettman on the new ASG voting rules: “I think it’s important for fans to have a say. Obviously, you want an NHL player at the NHL All-Star Game. And we think all of our players, in some way or another, are All-Stars.” Awww. (The Tennessean)

— The Detroit Red Wings will have to share their new downtown arena with the Pistons, who’ve been struggling to fill seats in Auburn Hills. The Pistons made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2009. They were swept in the first round by the Cavaliers, just like in 2009. (The Detroit News)

The Ottawa Senators felt they deserved better in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to Florida.

“We attempted 83 shots on net, 40 shots, we had 26 scoring chances,” head coach Guy Boucher told reporters. “You can’t get more, you can’t get better quality; it’s just from there, we’ve got to continue improving our work around the net.”

But it won’t get any easier to score tonight in Montreal, where Carey Price is the projected starter for the 14-3-2 Canadiens. The Sens will enter with the NHL’s 29th-ranked offense (2.06 goals per game). That’s better than only Buffalo’s (1.89), which is apparently a “joke.”

Consider: the Sens have played 10 games this month, and they’ve yet to score more than two goals. For a team that finished last season with the ninth-best offense (2.80), what’s happening now is a significant drop-off.

On the bright side, they’ve improved their goals-against from 26th (2.94) to 15th (2.56), and their penalty killing (3rd, 88.5%) has been excellent. Stopping goals — not scoring them — is how they’ve managed to stay afloat in the standings.

Make no mistake, Dorion is under pressure from ownership to make the playoffs. And if you don’t believe it, recall what Eugene Melnyk said at the end of last season, just prior to Cameron’s firing.

“The status quo would just get us there again next year,” Melnyk said, “and this team cannot survive not making the playoffs.”

Just last week Melnyk expressed his displeasure at the Senators’ attendance numbers.

“Running the Ottawa Senators is not an easy business,” he wrote in response to an editorial in the Ottawa Citizen. “Consider the fact that the team is currently eighth overall in the NHL and the second-best performing Canadian team, and yet we are far from sellouts at our home games.”

For Saturday’s loss to the Panthers, the announced attendance at Canadian Tire Centre was just 14,132.

The Sens return home for another tough game Thursday, this one against the visitors from Boston.

It may have looked that way from a distance, when they dropped five straight after a hot start. But the Oilers have since won two in a row, including last night’s 5-0 destruction of the Chicago Blackhawks.

With the wins, Edmonton has climbed back atop the Pacific Division with an 11-8-1 record.

“We’ve been able to snap out of a bit of a funk and we’re looking to go on a run now,” said captain Connor McDavid. “Once you get out of one of those, it is important you take off from there.”

McDavid had two assists last night, bringing his season point total to an NHL-high 24 (8G, 16A).

The 19-year-old center is clearly his team’s MVP. In the seven games that McDavid has failed to register a point, the Oilers are 2-4-1. In the 13 games where he’s succeeded, they’re 9-4-0. They really do rely on him to create much of their offense, even if it bothers the coach that they rely on him so much.

The Oilers are also doing good things defensively, like having the NHL’s sixth-best penalty killing. Last year, their PK ranked 18th. The year before, it was 28th. The addition of defenseman Kris Russellseems to have helped in that regard.

The Oilers also have the puck more, as evidenced by a score-adjusted Corsi that ranks ninth in the league. Last year, it was 21st. The year before, 23rd.

And, of course, we can’t forget the goaltending. Cam Talbot has started an NHL-high 18 times this season. He’s 10-7-1 with a .920 save percentage. If McDavid is the Oilers’ MVP, then Talbot is the runner-up.

Granted, all those starts does beg a question — how many is too many for Talbot? He’s currently the only goalie in the league that’s played over 1,000 minutes. Jonas Gustavsson is the backup; he’s only made two starts (1-1-0, .898).

For the Oilers, whether or not Gustavsson can be trusted could end up being the difference between making the playoffs or missing them yet again. After all, Talbot is only human; he’s bound to wear down if the coach keeps running him out there.

This is a new feature on PHT. It’s like the Morning Skate, only not in the morning.

Craig Cunningham is in stable but critical condition after suffering an apparent heart attack just prior to an AHL game on Saturday. The 26-year-old is a very popular player, and for many good reasons. One example: During Cunningham’s junior career in Vancouver, he visited the team’s beat writer in hospital, and that writer will never forget it. (The Province)

Martin Brodeur is learning the business of management with the St. Louis Blues. It’s not always glamorous, but he’s having fun while “getting to understand the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to put a team on the ice.” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Why is the NHL expanding to Las Vegas when there are still problem franchises in Carolina, Arizona, Brooklyn, and Florida? The answer is money, but Scott Stinson wonders if it’s such a good idea. (National Post)

Larry Brooks takes the boots to the New York Islanders. “The season is young enough it cannot yet be considered a write-off. But the clock is ticking. It is ticking on Capuano, on Snow and on the Islanders.” (New York Post)

On the importance of the back-up goalie. There are a few NHL general managers who should read this. (Sports Illustrated)

Alex Burrows isn’t the most popular player in the NHL, but the 35-year-old is playing well in the final year of his contract with the Vancouver Canucks. Might there be interest at the trade deadline? (Vancouver Sun)

Niklas Hjalmarsson says he’s “playing like it’s my last contract.” But he’s actually signed through 2018-19, so don’t worry, Blackhawks fans, he’ll be around a while longer, “taking away shooting lanes, blocking shots” and doing his thing. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Tweet of the Day

Boudreau gold on how he'll match star-studded Stars Benn-Eakin-Seguin line: “Well, right now we have four checking lines.”#mnwild